Just two days after that The Food and Drug Administration has approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine For emergencies in children 12 and older, parents of teenagers got more good news: it can be given at the same time (or almost the same time) as any other vaccine they might receive.
Although the vaccine was technically approved on Monday, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which is the CDC’s advisory body on vaccines, met today to formalize the recommendation and add additional consideration. This committee said The COVID-19 vaccine can be administered with any other vaccine regardless of the timing. This effectively means teens (and adults) can get their COVID shot at the same time as any other vaccine they need.
Previously, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recommended not receiving any further vaccines for at least two weeks before or after a COVID-19 shot. Since the Pfizer vaccine is given in two doses about three weeks apart, that would have meant a seven or eight week window of time during which children could not get other vaccinations, making timing especially difficult for children who need certain ones Vaccines for summer camp or school in the fall.
But this new recommendation changes that, and it is one of the The American Academy of Pediatrics supports this as well::
The AAP supports the co-administration of other vaccinations for children and adolescents at the same time as COVID-19 vaccines, especially for children and adolescents who are lagging behind with their vaccinations. Between the essential data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and the extensive experience of non-COVID-19 vaccines showing the immune response and side effects, the benefits of co-administering vaccines are generally similar to those of administering the concurrent vaccines alone Use and the timely catch-up process of vaccinations outweigh the theoretical risk. AAP recommends children and adolescents catch up on any vaccinations that may have been delayed during the pandemic.
G / O Media can receive a commission
In other words, the original recommendation to tell them apart was made with great caution – not because of a known security risk.
This article was originally published on May 5, 2021. It was updated on May 12, 2021 to reflect updated recommendations.
